Building roof structures typically have one or more openings serving as venting structures to allow gases and other materials to exit the building, and to allow atmospheric air to enter the building. For example, plumbing vents are typically required at all drainage points in a building to exhaust plumbing gases and to allow air to enter the plumbing system to displace water draining into the sewer system. The vents formed within building roofs usually include a venting pipe positioned through a hole within the roof. An interfacing material, such as flashing or a gasket, is positioned between the vent pipe and the hole in the roof to maintain a water-tight seal between the vent pipe and the roof. Gaskets may be constructed from rubbers, plastics, or weather-resistant, durable materials, whereas flashing materials may include lead or other metals. The flashing material or gasket is often interfaced with the roofing shingles or tiles to maintain the water-tight seal.
While conventional vent pipes, venting structures, and venting systems provide adequate functioning, they also have many drawbacks and shortcomings. For example, building roof vents are often positioned in highly visible areas of the building roof, such that they can easily be noticed. The ability to notice a roofing vent is enhanced due to the commonly white-colored venting pipe that contrasts with the commonly darker-colored roofing shingles or tiles. Some building vents, such as dryer vents or stove exhaust vents, can exit through a wall of the building and therefore can enjoy the benefit of aesthetic shields, such as shrubbery, trees, or similar articles to block their unsightly appearance. However, plumbing exhaust vents, colloquially referred to within the industry as ‘stinky pipes’, are often required to be positioned through a roofing structure and therefore are almost always in highly visible areas.
Additional shortcomings of conventional venting structures include the fact that roof venting pipes often have an opening to the elements, thus lending themselves as attractive places for rodents and other creatures to take up residence. Devices have been made available to cover these openings, but they, too, are often unsightly. Furthermore, many roof venting pipes are positioned with their opening just a foot or two above the roof itself, which can create complications in inclement weather where the height of snow on the roof can surpass the height of the pipe opening. Extending the roof venting pipe further away from the roof is often not a feasible option, since it increases the unsightly view of the pipe. In addition, some existing roof venting pipes are prone to leaking through the gasket or flashing after years of use. Replacing the gasket or flashing can be costly and time-consuming, and can result in the need for new roofing shingles which do not match existing roof shingles or other noticeable, unsightly features on the roof.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.